The present invention relates generally to a device used in accident remediation and more particularly to a device used to straighten the frame or unibody of a car damaged in an accident.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that during collisions, automobiles are often times damaged to the point that the frames or unibodies are bent out of alignment. Most modern automobile construction does not include a traditional "frame" as such, but rather, the so called "unibody" construction is employed wherein the body panels of the vehicle are pinchwelded in multiple locations to a perimeter plate to form the perimeter support structure of the vehicle. The pinchweld of unibody construction creates a reinforced rim about the outside of the vehicle. In this application, the terms "frame" and "pinchweld" are used substantially interchangeably to designate the perimeter support structure of a vehicle which requires alignment after being bent or warped as a result of the vehicle being involved in a collision or the like. The invention of the instant application works equally well with vehicles of frame construction and unibody construction as well as most variations thereof.
When the frame or unibody of an automobile is bent, the repair of the collision damage cannot proceed effectively because the replacement body parts will not align. Further, even if the repair could be completed, the automobile would not "track" properly; that is to say that the rear wheel of the vehicle would not be aligned in the same imaginary track as the front wheel when the vehicle is traveling along a straight path. The failure to "track" will cause the vehicle to pull to one side of the road or the other, causing unnecessary wear to the tires of the vehicle. Proper alignment will cause the automobile to track properly and facilitate the correct mating of body parts that are being replaced as a part of the body shop repair of the collision damage. The prior devices for straightening the frame of a vehicle all generally operate in the same manner. First, the automobile is driven or pulled upon a platform. A platform is generally considered to be necessary in order to elevate the vehicle above the support surface or floor (although other systems are available which do not employ a platform) so that the mechanic can get to the undercarriage of the vehicle and instrumentation can be located adjacent the frame for measurements used in checking correction of alignment. After the automobile is on the platform, the frame of the automobile must be fixed in a stationary position relative to the platform so that force (generally in a lateral direction) can be applied to the frame at various points around the perimeter of the frame to pull or bend the frame back into alignment. The lateral force is applied to the frame by attaching a hook or clamp to the frame; the hook is connected via a chain or the like to a hydraulic (or motor driven) pulling mechanism and by activation of the mechanism, the hook pulls the frame into alignment.
Heretofore, the process of fixing the frame of the automobile to the platform has been by multiple clamping devices. In most cases the prior art clamping devices have not been a part of the platform itself, and must be imported from a remote location by hand and manually attached both to the platform and to the frame of the vehicle. To create access to the undercarriage of the vehicle, most platforms have an open core. Also, it is convenient if the platform can be tilted so that the vehicle can be driven or pulled onto the platform. The loading of the vehicle onto the platform and the open core of the platform are the primary reasons that the clamps have not been a part of the platform itself. Specifically, the frame or the pinchweld of most vehicles is substantially in-line with the front and back wheels of the vehicle. For that reason, it has been assumed historically that if the clamps were in place on the platform, they would interfere with the loading of the vehicle onto the platform.
Thus, when using prior art systems, it has traditionally been necessary that a clamp be retrieved from a wall board or other nearby storage facility and placed underneath the car so that the clamp can be attached to the pinchweld on the unibody of the automobile. This procedure is generally repeated three more times until four clamps are clamped into place at intervals about the perimeter of the vehicle, thereby fixing it to the platform so that the alignment process can begin.
The prior art clamps tend to weigh forty to sixty pounds and are very cumbersome to carry. Unfortunately, most of these clamps also are of a given height so that if the frame is bent vertically (in the "Y" direction), as opposed to laterally (in the "X" or "Z" direction), the clearance between at least some portion of the frame and the platform may be less than the height of the clamp. In these cases, a jack must be used to raise the automobile sufficiently so that the clamp may be put in place. The jack may also function to bend the frame in the "Y" direction so that the frame will be aligned in all directions when the process is completed. Even in those cases where the frame is not bent in the "Y" direction, because most modern cars are built so low to the ground, they must be raised to perform the frame straightening procedure. Further, raising the vehicle at its frame relieves pressure from the suspension system of the vehicle and makes the frame straightening process more efficient.
In the prior art, the process is to first raise the vehicle with a jack mechanism or the like and then bolt the clamps to the platform. After the clamps are affixed to the platform of the frame straightening device, they are then attached to the frame of the vehicle. The clamp jaws are then tightened by bolts to hold the car. Most prior art clamping devices have five to ten bolts per device for a total of twenty to forty bolts per vehicle to tighten in order to secure the clamps to the car. This is a very wearing process. Each of these bolts is tightened and loosened ten to twenty times per week, in most cases by a technician using an air wrench. Therefore, the bolts and nuts are damaged and wear out over a short period of time.
In the prior art systems, the measuring tools, including those gauges measuring the underside of the car for alignment, are generally not a part of the platform system itself, but are placed in a different location on a rack and brought to the automobile after the automobile is in position for the frame straightening process to begin. All of these prior art systems are cumbersome, time consuming in operation and subject to extraordinary wear and attendant high maintenance cost. They also are ineffective because they must be manually raised to the car's underbody or the car lowered to the measuring system, all of which takes time and is labor intensive. As a practical matter, if the system is automatic, the body shop mechanic will use it, but if the system takes too much time to assemble or operate, because the mechanic is paid generally on a job (as opposed to a time) basis, he may simply use a tape measurer or tram gauge to perform the alignment function, both of which are less accurate and may result in the customer's car remaining mis-aligned when the job is finished.
Thus, while there have been several attempts to provide frame straightening devices for automobiles involved in frame-altering collisions, unfortunately, all have the limitations discussed in the previous paragraphs.
What is needed, then, is a frame straightening system which integrates holding clamps with the platform of the system so that they may be moved in relationship to a car that has been placed on the platform of the system and can be readily shifted between a retracted position and a clamp position to engage the frame, normally the pinchweld, of the car. The desired device should also provide a system for clamping the clamp on the pinchweld that does not require the user to actually install the clamp manually. The desired device should also have the ability to raise the vehicle to a proper working height and align the frame in the vertical "Y" direction. Preferably, the desired device would provide for linear measurement gauges underneath the car and made a part of the system with means to raise the gauges into an operable location adjacent the undercarriage of the car so that they do not have to be brought to the platform from a wall unit or other storage facility. The device should also provide boltless fastening of the clamp and clamp jaws. Such a device is presently lacking in the prior art.